Changelings
- Автор: Маккефри Энн, Скарборо Элизабет
- Серия: The Twins of Petaybee #1
- Язык: английский
- Жанр: Научная фантастика
Электронная книга - «Changelings». Краткое содержание книги:
CHANGELINGS
They are Ronan Born for Water Shongili and Murel Monster Slayer Shongili. Twin brother and sister. Children of Yana and Sean. Children of Petaybee. As such, theirs is a destiny deeply intertwined with the sentient planet that is their home. For Ronan and Murel are more than human. Like their father, each can transform into a seal and converse telepathically with the planet’s creatures–such as the friendly otter whose life they save one day from a pack of ravenous wolves.
But the twins’ bravery has unforeseen results when a visiting scientist witnesses their startling metamorphosis and becomes obsessed with their capture. To protect their children, Sean and Yana send them to stay with a powerful family friend on an orbiting space station. But no one realizes that Ronan and Murel hunger to discover the origins of their shape-shifting talent–and that their search for knowledge will place them squarely in the path of peril.
Meanwhile, Petaybee is changing–and much faster than an ordinary planet’s natural evolution. It appears that portions of the sea are heating up and a landmass is suddenly rising from the depths. To investigate the startling occurrence, Sean heads out to the open water in his seal form. But the newly unstable region holds untold mysteries–and the potential for disaster.
"Even seals aren't safe in the sea at times like these, dear," Marmie told her. "You will need a respirator, a hard hat, probably a line to help you haul your brother to safety, and, oh yes, a homing beacon. And really, you should wear protective clothing and carry a knife as well."
"I don't know how to break this to you, Marmie, but seals don't have pockets or anything to carry that stuff with, and the little packet my suit fits in won't hold it all. Just cover for me so the others don't see and I'll change now."
"No," Mum said. "You will take these things or I will take them and dive with you."
"Mum, you'd slow me down. Ro's in trouble."
"And if you go without taking the proper precautions you will be too."
Finally everyone was satisfied-except Sky, who wanted to go too but still didn't think river otters could swim in salt water. Murel put on the protective gear, with straps for the knife, rope, and hat. Then she cut the arms and legs out of the clothing to make room for her flippers, which would need the room once she was in the water. She dove in and made her change under the yacht. The hard hat was slippery on her seal's head and ended by sort of dangling around her neck.
"We'll be right behind you," Mum called through the earpiece that was the other item they insisted she wear. They'd wanted her to wear a voice mike too, but she pointed out that they probably wouldn't understand her until she was back somewhere where she could speak without barking. The earpiece would probably float out of her ear once she started swimming.
Okay, Ronan, where are you and what kind of a jam are you in? she asked, but received no reply. So she struck out toward the lava beds where the otters and her brother were last seen.
She called and called but although she continued to get the sensation that he was in deep trouble, he didn't respond.
Ronan, Ronan Born for Water Maddock-Shongili, where in the water are you? she cried in exasperation.
Come and see for yourself, sis, he replied. You're not going to believe this!
What do you see? Keep in contact. I'm on my way and Mum and Marmie and the yacht are following. I've a locator beacon so we'll find you.
It's some kind of an underwater city, Mur. Not too far from the main volcano cone.
7s it a ruin, you think? Maybe from way back before Petaybee needed terraforming.
It's a pretty lively-looking ruin. There are lights and things moving around.
She swam as quickly as she could, undulating toward where she felt him to be. The moving things could just be sea creatures swimming through it, but the lights? Bioluminescence, do you suppose? Petaybee exhibited that kind of thing in many places, inside the caves, sometimes along the inner banks of the river, but it hadn't ever gone so far as to light up buildings, not that she knew of. Usually you had to use at least a candle or a lantern or something.
No, no, you'll just have to see.
Don't go in yet unless you have to. Wait for me.
Suddenly the entire ocean gave a violent shudder and she was buffeted back and forth by the swell before she could proceed onward with any speed. On the surface, rocks rained into the water, which told her she was getting closer to the cone. Below her the water was warm, sometimes uncomfortably so. She knew the vents spewed acid, and could only hope it was diluted enough by the water that she wouldn't suffer burns to her exposed flippers and face.
She was very glad now to have all the silly equipment Mum and Marmie had insisted on loading onto her.
The respirator especially was coming in handy now when she surfaced, even though it didn't fit a seal's snout very well. Mum forgot her seal daughter didn't have hands to adjust the darn thing.
Funny, with all the smoke it looked like the weather was stormy, but really, back on the boat the sky had been blue where you could see it beyond the smoke.
She dived again and swam on, calling and calling. Behind her she heard the engine of the Melusine. She surfaced and looked back. Mum, Marmie, and some of the other people aboard the yacht stood on deck wearing hard hats, protective coats, and respirators. There were human divers on board too, and they were prepared to help, but Murel had asked that they stay aboard the boat until she located Ronan. No sense in muddying the waters any more than they were already muddied, and besides, it would be impossible to keep their secret from all those divers.
Although Ronan looked up to the tops of the towers of the city stretching out before him, the city's base was beneath the place where he stood, sunken into a wide volcanic Caldera that glowed cherry red all around the edge of the city.
How could people live there? Well, maybe they didn't. There were lights and shadows, flickering and movement, but he couldn't identify what was causing the movement. After staring at it for a while, he wasn't even convinced it was real. It could be a hologram, he decided, although why anyone would project one in an isolated undersea spot near a volcano was beyond him.
Then he realized the lights were changing colors-that a progression of colors beginning with white turned to yellow, lime, emerald, teal, aqua, brilliant blue, purple, red, orange, and back to yellow. From the bottom of the towers to the top and back down again, from the spires closest to him to those farthest away, the lights ran their rainbows.
Fascinated, he swam forward, thinking to explore the streets that surely ran between the towers, but instead of swimming straight ahead, he found himself swimming to the surface, there to be assaulted by more rock showers. Lightning bounded through the smoke in front of him. Taking as much air as he dared, he dived again, but although he thought he was swimming into the city, he reached the ocean floor pretty much where he had been before.
He surfaced and dived many more times, each time drawing shallower breaths and growing more light-headed. He should turn back, he thought, try to meet Murel, but he didn't want to lose sight of the city for fear that he wouldn't find it again. He half thought it was an illusion.
Each time he went up for air, he tried to dive at a different angle, but always he was off to one side of the city. Perhaps it was farther than it looked, though he could feel the heat from the glowing crater beneath it.
It wasn't just that the city had a hypnotic effect on him, he thought. No, he could break away from that if he wanted. It was just that if this were a real place, it was the best hope that Da was still alive and well. Unless, of course, whoever ran the city was evil or something.
Ronan? Ro? Where are you? Murel's mind-voice was very close to him now.
Here, he said, but even to his own mind his thought was not projecting very well. I'm here, by the city.
By the- what are you on about anyway? Have you been eating funny seaweed?
He didn't answer. He felt her glide up next to him. More distantly there was a rumbling. He thought it was the volcano again but then felt the churning of the water and heard echoes of other human thoughts.
Oh. I see, Murel said, her body hanging lengthwise in the water beside him as she looked into the city. She looked very funny, wearing a hat on the back of her head and neck and something weird and mechanical over her nose. She also had on some kind of clothing, not becoming to a seal. Though it was comical, he didn't feel like laughing. He just stared at her for a moment then back at the city. That's incredible. I bet Da is in there somewhere. Have you tried calling to him?